Scott Rogers envisions a high-speed passenger line, with rail cars traveling at 80 mph, heading from Eau Claire to St. Paul on existing Union Pacific tracks. Four trains daily would head to the Twin Cities, with a handful of stops along the way.

Rogers, chairman of the West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition and the government affairs and workforce director for the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, said there are at least five private commuter-rail providers active in the country, and he believes there is interest for a private firm to operate the line in western Wisconsin.

“It would be competitive to highway (travel), and reliable,” Rogers said.

Rogers has been working on getting the passenger train line going for more than a decade. The route would connect to other rail service at St. Paul’s Union Depot.

“The whole idea has been percolating quite a while,” Rogers said. “It’s really continued to come up as being an important aspect of being competitive.”

The goal is to get the commuter line operational with no government money.

TRACK UPGRADES BEING STUDIED

The rail corridor is used now, but by trains going at a much slower pace. Rogers said a study is being done to determine how much it would cost to upgrade the track so it can handle rail cars traveling at 80 mph.

“The first step is to determine the requirements of the line,” Rogers said. “We have a general idea. We’ll have a better idea this fall (after the study). They’ve actually invested a lot into those tracks recently.”

Aside from the study of the needs of the track corridor, Rogers said, there isn’t a timeline for the next step in moving the plan forward.

PROJECTING USERS, FARES

Cost would be roughly $32 full fare to St. Paul, but with discounts for regular travel.

It is unclear exactly how many cars would be part of the train.

“There would be enough for capacity each day,” Rogers said, adding that preliminary estimates would be 1,000 to 1,200 passengers daily among the four trains.

So far, both the Eau Claire and Chippewa county boards have approved resolutions supporting the idea. Rogers said those resolutions are valuable to his organization.

“It’s a positive; it shows interest,” Rogers said.

The Eau Claire County Board approved its resolution Dec. 20. Chairman Gregg Moore said he likes the idea of providing another means of travel, which would make the area more attractive.

“We weren’t asked to (provide) money,” Moore said. “I’m not aware of any additional plans coming to the County Board. If it can be worked out, it would be a very positive thing.”

PROTECTING TAXPAYER INTERESTS

The Chippewa County Board approved its resolution of support Feb. 14 on an 11-3 vote. Board member Chuck Hull of Chippewa Falls was one of the supervisors who voted against the measure, saying he isn’t sure why a government municipality would be asked to show support for it.

“I’m definitely for rail,” Hull said. “The vote against it is why a government entity needs to endorse it. If they want to do it privately, that’s fine.”

Hull said his concerns are that costs would somehow be passed on to taxpayers — he doesn’t favor that — and he isn’t sure how Chippewa County would benefit.

A goal of the West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition is to eventually expand and offer passenger train service to Madison and Milwaukee. Information is on its website, westwisconsinrail.org.

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

More in Government & Politics

Minnesota officials continue to wade through a backlog of vehicle license and title applications, they told lawmakers on Tuesday. The update came almost a year and a half after the Minnesota Licensing and Registration System launched, spurring delays and making it difficult for many to get driver's licenses and vehicle registration tabs. Problems are being addressed, Minnesota IT Services Commissioner...

WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a sweeping criminal justice bill Tuesday that addresses concerns that the nation's war on drugs had led to the imprisonment of too many Americans for non-violent crimes without adequately preparing them for their return to society. Senate passage of the bill by a vote of 87-12 culminates years of negotiations and gives President Donald Trump...

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge Tuesday abruptly postponed the sentencing of President Donald Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, declaring himself disgusted and disdainful of Flynn's crime of lying to the FBI and raising the unexpected prospect of sending the retired Army lieutenant general to prison.

Declining premium prices seem to have a bigger impact on demand for individual health insurance plans than the ongoing uncertainty surrounding MNsure and the federal Affordable Care Act. MNsure passed its first enrollment deadline at midnight on Saturday with more than 113,000 signups. MNsure is the state-run marketplace for individual health plans under what is commonly called “Obamacare” and the...

Minnesota’s incoming Asian-American lawmakers are banding together to form their own caucus and give a voice to their communities. Six Hmong lawmakers — four new members and two incumbents — will serve in the Legislature come January. On Tuesday, the group of DFL lawmakers announced the formation of the first Minnesota Asian Pacific Caucus and laid out their goals for...